Sins of the Father
by Nitrogirl
Summary: "I'm not Howard.", Tony informed angrily as his captor kicked him in the stomach for talking back. The leader replied, "You're his son, so you can finish what he started." Cracking a grin, Tony asked in defiance, "If I refuse?" His answer was a cocked gun and three chilling words: "He dies first."
1. Crush

Hello, everyone. This is my first Avengers fan fiction ever, so if you want to give me any constructive criticism, don't hesitate to do are few things you should know before reading this:

1. There will be some DC references in here. In this fanfic, DC and Marvel share the same universe.

2. There is slash in here.

3. This story is going to eventually lead into a crossover between Dr. Who, Avengers, and Sherlock.

Now that you know that, enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Prologue: Crush

Tony Stark had a problem…a very, very big problem. What was his problem? Well, there is a certain someone that has been on Tony's mind ever since the super secret boy band + Widow saved New York from Thor's crazy brother and his army of aliens.

This certain someone that Tony kept thinking about was none other than Steve Rogers, also known to the world as Captain America.

When Tony first met Steve, he was plagued by his father's stories of a hero long ago that was lost forever: a hero that he considered to be the son Howard never had. So, when he first beheld Captain America in all his glory, what was Tony's first reaction?

**HATRED.**

That's right, Tony Stark hated Captain America. It was bad enough that the Capsicle lived up to every legend Tony heard about him and more, but he was so….perfect. He was more perfect than Tony and Tony couldn't have that. The only person that was allowed to radiate in perfection was Tony Stark. Unfortunately, the Captain radiated more perfection than Tony ever could. He was the perfect hero: strong, commanding, kind, firm, willing to do what was right, willing to lay his life on the line for his fellow comrades, etc.

However, his hatred of Steve got worse when they actually worked together. Steve tried to tell Tony what to do, and since Tony never did what he was told to do, they automatically got off to a bad start. As time passed, Tony noticed it was pretty obvious that Steve didn't think he was a hero. To Steve, he was nothing but Howard's son that was trying to be something he wasn't. Knowing that was bad enough for Tony, but that cut ran deep when Steve actually said he wasn't a hero. Technically, he didn't say those exact words, but the meaning was easy to get. So, being Tony, he fired a few insults of his own, basically saying that not only was Steve Rogers not a hero, he was nothing but a lab rat for his old man.

Yet, his ill feelings of the Captain started to change after the battle. New York was saved, the team got sharwma, and everyone decided to go their separate ways. Widow went with Legolas back to S.H.I.E.L.D., Thor took Loki back to Asgard, Bruce decided to go with Tony until he had to depart back to Africa, and Steve went his own way.

Before Steve left though, he pulled Tony to the side and said two words that nearly caused Tony's jaw to drop from the shock,

"I'm sorry."

Captain America was apologizing to Tony Stark?! Was the world going to end?! The soldier continued, "I was wrong. You are a hero: a great one. I shouldn't have said any of those things to you. You're more of a hero than Howard was when he turned me into this. He should be proud to have a son like you."

No amount of words could describe how happy Tony was after Steve said those words. In response, Tony apologized for his actions the best way he could,

"Uh…Capt…about what I said to you…no hard feelings?"

Steve gave Tony a warm smile and replied, "No hard feelings."

It had been months since Tony saw Steve, but whenever he thought about him, he felt weird. His heart would clench up and a weird feeling would start to occur in his stomach. It was odd for Tony. He checked all his vitals signs and all the tests concluded that he was 100% healthy. So, why was his body doing all these strange things when Steve Rogers popped into his head?

Agitated by his lack of answers, he called his butler,

"Jarvis!"

"Yes, sir?"

"I need help!"

"I am not surprised, sir."

Tony narrowed his eyes at the AI he created and exclaimed,

"I feel strange! What's wrong with me?!"

"What exactly are your symptoms, sir?"

"My heart gets all tight and my stomach feels weird…like annoying little insects are flying in it."

"When exactly did this start happening, sir?"

"It happens when I think of Captain Popsicle. Now, give the prognosis, Jarvis. What disease am I suffering from and what shots do I need to get rid of it?"

"Sir, you're not suffering from an actual disease."

That wasn't the answer Tony was expecting, and he certainly wasn't happy with it. In an irritated tone, he questioned, "Then, what am I suffering from, Jarvis?" He started to drink some beer as the AI answered,

"Well, sir, it appears that you have developed feelings for Mr. Rogers."

Tony almost spat out his drink after hearing those words and demanded,

"Are you saying that I have a crush on Rogers?!"

"It appears to be the case, sir."

" Jarvis, I am Tony Stark! Tony Stark doesn't get crushes on people! People get crushes on me! Then, I sleep with them, depending on how hot they are!"

"Sir, if I had a physical form, I would be rolling my eyes at how childish your acting."

"I am not acting childish!"

"Screaming at me is not going to help your case, sir. You have a crush on Mr. Rogers."

"No, I don't!"

"Do you want a second opinion, sir?"

"That would be helpful."

Tony pulled out his phone and started to go through his contacts, commenting on them as he went along, "Pepper? No, she's top busy with Rhodey, having fiancé time. Best friend stealer…"

Jarvis inputted,

"Ms. Potts never stole Mr. Rhodes from you, sir."

"Shut up, Jarvis! Now, let's see…Bruce? No, he would hang up at me again. Jarvis, why does he hang up on me?"

"Sir, you often forget that there is a time zone difference in Africa. You call him while he's asleep and that upsets him."

"I sent him a gift basket to say sorry!"

"Sir, you've sent him a total of thirty gift baskets as a means of apology. You've done it thirty times."

"He just needs to move in with m-JARVIS, WHY IS WIDOW'S NUMBER IN MY PHONE?!"

"Director Fury told me to do it, sir. Mr. Barton should be in there as well."

"I don't need Assassin #1 and Assassin #2's numbers in my phone. They secretly want to kill me, Jarvis, I know they do."

"I can hardly imagine why they would want to do such a thing, sir."

Tony grumbled at Jarvis's sarcasm and kept scrolling until he saw the word: Kid. Perfect. Tony clicked on the contact and put the phone up to his ear. It rang three times until Tony heard a female voice say,

"Hello, Tony."

"Hey, kiddo. What are you doing?"

"Tony, I'm at work."

"Work is boring. Let's hang out!"

"Tony, I'm working."

"I'm on my way now to pick you up."

"Tony… I. Am. At. Work."

"See you in ten minutes!"

"TONY!"

* * *

Alice Carter was angry: really, really angry. She was in the middle of a very important case and she was very close to cracking it. Why didn't she crack it? Tony Stark decided to waltz into the police station, drag her out of her office, and take her to a burger joint. She was not amused.

Tony sank his teeth into his burger while Alice was seething in her seat. The billionaire looked at her and asked,

"Don't you like your food?"

"The food isn't the problem, Tony. The problem is that you dragged me away from important work to go to a fast food place. You better have a good reason for doing this."

"Kid, technically, your shift ended an hour ago. You should've been at home relaxing or something. The only problem I see is that you were doing extra work on top of the normal work that you already do. Kid, that's not awesome. That's masochistic. Do you need to see a therapist?"

" No, Tony. I don't need to see a therapist. I'm doing important work. So what if I put in a little overtime? At least I'm doing something productive, unlike you."

"I do very productive stuff!"

"Like what? Paying your baby mama for the month?"

"I do not have any baby mamas, thank you very much!"

"Really? I'm shocked, because all you do is drink and screw anything that moves."

"No! I screw anyone hot that moves. There's a difference."

Alice rolled her eyes and took a sip of her vanilla milkshake. She stated,

"Tell me what's going on."

"Well, I need your help."

Alice raised an eyebrow at his words. Tony never admitted he needed help. This must be serious. She gestured for him to continue and he did,

"I've been having this weird feeling lately whenever I'm thinking about someone."

"Okay?"

"My hearts gets tight and my stomach feels off…like little bugs are flying around in it. It's very annoying."

Alice face palmed herself at that moment. This has to be some kind of joke. Did Tony just pull her away from work just to tell her that he had a crush on someone?! Well, it's Tony. He'd pull her away from work just to tell her that he had a birthday party coming up. Tony questioned,

"Kid, what's wrong with me?"

"Tony…"

"Yes?"

"Who is this person you have a crush on?"

"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH!"

After hearing Tony deny that he had a crush for forty-five minutes, Alice demanded that he take her to the police station so she could drive home. She had a headache and was in no mood to work anymore or deal with Tony. Pulling up to the station, he looked at her and stated,

"You've been extremely unhelpful."

In a tone thick with sarcasm, Alice replied, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, my world does not revolve around you."

"It should. I am awesome!"

"Whatever."

After parting ways with Tony, she returned to her apartment, throwing her purse on the couch. Rubbing her neck tiredly, she took a step forward, but froze. She wasn't alone. Taking her gun from her belt, she cocked it once, saying,

"Breaking into the apartment of a cop was a big mistake. Come out now, before I make you come out."

"Calling yourself a cop is a bit of an understatement, isn't it?"

A red-haired woman dressed in a black latex suit stepped out into the open, saying,

"Captain Alice Carter, head of the Starling City S.W.A.T. division, it's nice to meet you."

"Who are you?!"

"I am Agent Romanoff and my employer is very interested in you."


	2. Black Widow vs SWAT

Here's a brand new chapter. It's longer than the last one. You got some comedy last time, now here's some action!

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 1: Black Widow vs. S.W.A.T.

When Natasha first laid eyes on Carter, she wasn't impressed. Still, she couldn't figure out was why Fury was so interested in her. Then again, she couldn't see why Fury was so interested in Stark. Her thought process was interrupted when Carter questioned,

"Who is your employer?"

"Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Never heard of it or him."

"It's a top secret organization and he runs it."

"So, why does he want me?"

"He thinks that you would be a valuable asset."

"Well, you can tell him that I said no."

"I think I can change your mind."

Carter cocked her gun and stated,

"I highly doubt that."

"It would be in your best interest to put the gun down."

"I think it would be in my best interest for me to keep my gun out."

"If you try to shoot me, the repercussions won't be in your favor."

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think you can."

"If that's what you think, pull the trigger and **we'll see** **how long you last**."

* * *

Alice's hands started to tremble after those words left Romanoff's lips. That alone shocked her. Why were her hands trembling?! She wasn't scared of Romanoff...and yet...there was something about the way she spoke that unnerved her. There was something about this woman that made Alice be on edge. Part of her wanted to do as she said, while the other part of her wanted to shoot her on the spot.

Romanoff seemed dangerous. She needed to make a decision: shoot or don't shoot. She said she didn't want to hurt her, but Alice couldn't really trust the word of someone who broke into her apartment, now could she? So, taking a deep breath, Alice aimed her gun at Romanoff and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Natasha easily dodged the bullet and ran towards Carter. She kept firing her gun, but Natasha was too fast of a target for her to shoot. In a matter of seconds, Natasha kicked the gun out of Carter's hands and fired a punch at her. Carter blocked and threw a punch of her own. Natasha caught her fist, turned around, and flipped Carter over her shoulder. Carter tightened her body into a ball and landed solidly on her feet. Natasha still had the advantage since she still held on to Carter's arm with a lock grip. She felt her opponent's fingers grip the fabric of her suit while her other hand grabbed her shoulders. Then, Natasha was pulled forward as Carter threw her over, dropping to one knee in the process. Reacting instantly, she released Carter's arm, twisted her body in the air, and landed cleanly on both feet.

* * *

Alice stood back up while her mind was muddled. That was too close for comfort. Romanoff almost had her. Alice couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice. Romanoff smirked at her at curled her fingers twice, gesturing for her to come. Rage filled Alice at that very moment. How dare Romanoff be so smug! Alice ran up to her and delivered a swift kick. Romanoff blocked it and grabbed her leg. Alice attempted to move her leg, but she couldn't move it. She attempted to kick Romanoff with the other leg, but she caught that too. Alice tried to punch her but Romanoff just bended backwards and avoided her attack completely. The officer couldn't believe the situation she was in. She was literally being held in the air and none of her hits were connecting.

Then, Alice was jerked to the side and was slammed against the wall. Her head was hit really hard as images begin to dance in her eyes. She felt herself being let go and the breath getting knocked out of her.

* * *

Natasha had her arm pressed against Carter's throat and had her wrist pinned against the wall. Carter was blinking and shaking her head in an attempt to stop from being disoriented. Natasha questioned,

"Are you done?"

"N-Not a chance.."

Natasha saw Carter move her legs and was prepared to block her kick. However, she was not prepared to block a head butt. Carter rammed her head into hers, making Natasha's head go backwards. The S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin begin to see images blur and she jumped backwards.

* * *

Alice had to steady herself by leaning against the wall. She started to think that head butting Romanoff was a really bad idea. She felt incredibly dizzy, like she was going to fall at any moment. Her sight was starting to fail her. No! Her body couldn't give out! Not now! She had to fight Romanoff and she had to win!

* * *

Natasha was ready to fight again when she saw Carter run towards her. However, in the middle of the run, Carter lost consciousness and began to fall forward. The Black Widow darted forward and caught the girl before she hit the ground. Placing a hand on Carter's neck, she could feel a steady pulse. Good. She was still alive. Operating the communicator in her ear, the assassin said,

"This is Black Widow. Do you copy?"

"I copy. Status report."

"I'm bringing Alice Carter back to S.H.I.E.L.D. She'll need a medic."

* * *

Tony Stark was annoyed. Everyone kept saying that he had a crush on Steve: Jarvis, Alice, and Pepper. Pepper wasn't supposed to side with them! She was supposed to side with him! She worked for him after all! Even drinking his favorite wine didn't make the problem go away. He needed someone to tell him that he didn't like the super soldier. So, he decided to call Bruce and hopefully, this time, he wouldn't hang up the phone. Dialing his number, Tony was surprised to hear Bruce answer on the first ring.

"Hello, Tony."

"Brucie, my best buddy! How are you doing today?"

"I'm currently at S.H.I.E.L.D. applying medical treatment to a patient."

This news was a bombshell to Tony. How could his best friend not tell him that he was back at S.H.I.E.L.D.?! They were science bros! The billionaire hung up after hastily saying,

"I'll meet you there."

* * *

Bruce had returned to America a week before Tony called, but neglected to tell him because he needed Away From Tony time in the lab. He enjoyed doing scientific experiments with Tony, but whenever Tony was around, things usually tended to explode. It was nice just to have normal science experiments with no mishaps whatsoever. His science time was interrupted when he got a call from Natasha, saying that his medical expertise was needed. He left the lab and was greeted to the sight of a light complexioned girl with black hair on a stretcher. She appeared to be unconscious, which caused Bruce to get right to work.

He checked her vitals and diagnosed that she had a concussion. Now, all that was left was for her to hopefully wake up. He turned to Natasha and asked,

"What happened?"

"I was acting under orders from Fury."

"How did that go?"

"Not well."

"Did you have to give her a concussion?"

"She gave herself a concussion. She's the one who decided to head butt me."

"You were injured?"

"I'm fine, Dr. Banner."

Bruce dismissed the red-head and began to do an evaluation on her. She became very displeased and tried to push him away, saying, "Dr. Banner, I am fine."

He gently grabbed her wrists which made the Widow freeze as he said, "Natasha..I know that you are incredibly strong, but I'm a doctor. Doctors always take care of people, even if they say they're fine. You were in a fight and I want to check if you are completely healthy. Please indulge me."

* * *

Natasha relented and allowed Dr. Banner to check on her. He questioned,

"Did she injure you in any way besides the head butt?"

"No."

She felt his fingers brush against her forehead while his eyes showed concern, which prompted her to ask,

"What's wrong?"

"You have a bruise."

Shock overtook Natasha for a brief moment. Carter managed to do that to her? Bruce placed a bandage on her forehead and checked to see if she had a concussion as well, although she knew full well that she didn't have one.

* * *

Tony would've walked straight to the lab if he didn't glance by the medic unit. Bruce and the Widow seemed to be sharing an intimate moment, much to his delight. Time for teasing! When he saw Kid in lying unconscious, his mind froze and he released an earth-shattering cry,

"KID!"

* * *

Alice heard something loud, which caused her to start to awaken. That sound sounded very familiar to her...like she should know it somehow. Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was Tony Stark. She greeted groggily, "Hey, Tony."

The billionaire rushed to her side, asking, "Are you okay? What happened to you? Who did this to you?"

Him speaking so loudly caused Alice's head to hurt even more. Alice stated,

"Tony, stop screaming."

"How do you feel?"

"Sleepy."

A new voice said, "That's a common symptom for people who had concussions."

She looked up to see a bespectacled man with light complexioned skin and short, black curly hair. He introduced himself,

"My name is Dr. Bruce Banner. I've been treating you. You need to take it easy for a while."

"Alice Carter. Where am I?"

"You're in the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical unit."

S.H.I.E.L.D...that sounded familiar to Alice. She closed her eyes and let the memories slowly came back to her. It took a minute, but she remembered everything. Her eyes scanned the environment and when she laid eyes on Romanoff again, she felt nothing but anger. "You...", she growled while Tony looked confused.

* * *

Tony was very confused. How did Kid know Natasha? He questioned,

"How do you know Assassin #1?"

"We got into a fight."

"YOU FOUGHT THE WIDOW?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"She broke into my apartment."

Tony whipped his head towards Natasha and screamed,

"YOU BROKE INTO HER APARTMENT?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I told her not to fire her gun at me."

Tony went back to screaming at a very irritated Alice.

"YOU SHOT AT THE WIDOW?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Alice said, "Tony, her presence threatened me."

Tony resumed his screeching at the Widow,

"YOU THREATENED KID?!"

"I told her that I didn't want to hurt her."

Tony ended this whole debate by asking, "Why did you even break into her apartment anyway, Natasha?"

She gave him an answer, "That's classified, Stark."

That answer didn't satisfy the billionaire and he replied in a tone that was laced with fury, "Anything that involves Alice isn't classified to me. Why were you in her apartment, Widow?!"

Another voice answered his question, "She was acting under my orders, Stark."

Tony turned to see Nick Fury standing at the doorway and began to seethe.

* * *

Alice looked at the new individual and questioned, "Who are you?"

He walked to her bedside and answered,

"Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Romanoff's employer?"

"Yes, and we have something very important to discuss."


	3. Taken Away

Another new chap. I hope you enjoyed the action scenes in the last one. I hope you like some jealous!Tony.

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 2: Taken Away

Alice looked at Fury and stated angrily, "If you want to recruit me for S.H.I.E.L.D., my answer is no." Fury looked down on her and replied,

"I'm afraid that you don't have much of a choice in the matter, Carter."

"You can't make me join you, Fury."

"Yes, I can."

"I already have a job."

"Not anymore, you don't."

"What?"

"As of last night, you resigned from Starling City Police Force."

"What?! I never wrote a resignation letter!"

"It wasn't written. It was typed."

If looks could kill, Nick Fury would be six feet under. Alice couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had to be bluffing. There was no way that her job was taken away from her. She tried to stand up, but almost fell because her legs buckled beneath her. Tony caught her and he said,

"You shouldn't be moving around."

"I have to go to Starling City."

"Why?"

"I have to see if I still have a job in the police force."

"Just call them!"

"No! I want to see in person, Tony!"

* * *

Tony was concerned about Alice. She should just stay in bed until she fully recuperated, but knowing her, she wouldn't. If Kid wanted to do something, she would do it. His ears perked up when Bruce stated, "She's in no condition to even be driving."

Alice looked at Tony with eyes of determination, which made Tony declare, "I'll take her."

Tony picked up Alice, piggyback style. She informed,

"Tony, I can walk."

"Kid, you can barely walk, let alone stand. You need help. So, I'm helping you out."

"Tony, put me down!"

"Can't do that, kid."

"Tony!"

Ignoring her protests, Tony walked out of the medic unit with Alice on his back. While he walked out of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, he was appalled when he saw Steve Rogers walking in the opposite direction. His heart began to pound to the point where it sounded like it would burst out of his chest. He greeted him quickly,

"Hey, Cap! Bye, Cap!"

The billionaire almost groaned at his actions. He was acting like some lovesick teenage girl that had a crush on an older guy. He was no such thing. He was Tony Stark, the most perfect man in the world and the very definition of style. Tony heard the curiosity in Alice's voice when she asked,

"Who was that?"

"Captain America."

"THE Captain America?"

"Yep."

"I thought he was-"

"Dead? Well, he's not. He's alive."

"Are all the stories about him true?"

"Yep."

Her next comment unnerved Tony,

"He's pretty cute."

An intense anger filled the billionaire that almost made him stop in his tracks. What? Was she interested in him or something?! She barely even knew Rogers! She can't express interest in someone she barely knew! That's not allowed! One second later, the anger passed and Tony began to question why he became angry in the first place. She just said that Steve was cute, so why did that bother him so much?

* * *

Alice noticed Tony's change of behavior and decided to confront him about it once they were in his black Porsche.

"Tony, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"What makes you think I'm not fine?"

"You seem angry."

"I'm not angry."

"Yes, you are."

"What makes you think I'm angry?"

"I know you're angry."

"Kid..."

"Come to think of it...your mood changed right after we saw Captain America."

"No, it didn't!"

Alice stared at Tony and put the pieces together. Finally, she popped the big question,

"Is Captain America the one you have a crush on?"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON ROGERS!"

His blatant denial made it more obvious that he harbored feelings for the hero. A smirk formed on Alice's face. "How interesting...", she thought.

* * *

When Tony pulled up to the Starling City Police Department Headquarters, he picked up Alice once again. When he entered through the doors, everyone stared at him. He greeted awkwardly,

"Hey...can anyone direct me to the Police Chief's office?"

Fingers were pointed to the door down the hallway as Tony walked down it. He walked inside, situated Alice in a chair, and walked outside. He could feel eyes still on him, sighed, plastered on a fake smile and asked,

"Who wants an autograph?"

* * *

"Sir, did a resignation letter under my name come in last night?", Alice questioned.

The Chief went through a stack of papers and pulled one out. Handing it to the ex-officer, she read it with pure disbelief. Fury did it. He actually did it. He made her unemployed in one night. She wanted to scream that she wasn't the one that wrote it, but she couldn't prove it. Even if she begged for her job back and got re-hired, Alice believed that Fury would just find some other way to make her lose her job. Her eyes started to fill up with water as she said,

"Thanks for letting me check."

"We'll miss you."

"Yeah, I'll miss all of you too."

* * *

Tony signed the last autograph, which caused him to be extremely relieved. He heard a knock on the door and opened it to see Alice sitting by the door. He asked,

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

He carried her to the car and they rode in silence. Tony could see the pain on Alice's face and he questioned,

"Are you okay?"

A tear slid down Alice's face when she said, "Everything's getting taken away from me again. I thought...I thought...this was one of the very few things that wasn't going to slip through my fingers. What's next? You?"

Shock rippled throughout my body as she turned to me, asking, "Are you going to be taken away from me too?"

The billionaire put a hand on her head and started to ruffle her hair, making her laugh despite the pain she was feeling. He answered with a smile,

"Nope. Kid, you'll never lose me. We're stuck together forever, whether you like it or not."

"Thanks, Tony."

"Anytime, Kid."

"Take me back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury went through a lot of trouble to try and get me to join his organization. I need to find out why."

"Alright."

"Besides, while I do that, you can go talk to Captain America and profess your undying love for him."

Tony tapped the steering wheel out of annoyance while Alice crack a smile. The fact that his confusing feelings for Steve were becoming amusing for Alice did not please him at all.


	4. Clashes and Offerings - Part 1

Here's the newest chapter, featuring the object of Tony's affections, Steve Rogers!

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 3: Clashes and Offerings - Part 1

Steve Rogers was happy to be in New York again. Sure, it wasn't Brooklyn of the 1940s, but he considered it to be home none the less. He decided to return when he found himself absentmindedly drawing New York skyscrapers in his drawing pad. While he was there, he decided to see to check up on his team. He missed everyone, including Tony, which surprised him considering he wanted nothing to do with him at first.

Tony reminded Steve of Howard Stark, his creator and one of his best friends. Just looking at him drove home the fact that Howard was gone and Steve would never see him again. On top of that, Steve often found himself wondering who Tony's mother was. He knew Howard Stark was a ladies man, so he was curious to find out who stole Howard's heart.

Thinking about Howard's love reminded Steve of Peggy. He loved her with all of his heart and was still heartbroken that they could never be together. He often thought of visiting her at the cemetery, but he never mustered up the will to go there. His thought process was interrupted when he heard a familiar voice say,

"Hey, Cap! Bye, Cap!"

Startled, he saw Tony passing him, but he was carrying a girl on his back. The whole entire sight boggled Steve. Where was Tony going and who was that girl he was carrying?

He entered found Bruce, Natasha, and Fury and greeted everyone, "Hello."

Natasha and Fury nodded in acknowledgement and Bruce greeted him warmly, "Hello, Steve."

* * *

Tony carried Alice into S.H.I.E.L.D. once again while Tony exclaimed,

" Kid, if you say I'm in love with Rogers one more time, I swear I'm going to drop you."

"Tony, you are. It's written all over your face."

"The only thing that's written all over my face is awesomeness."

"I don't understand why you just won't tell him how you feel."

"There's nothing to tell!"

"So, what you're saying is that you feel nothing for Steve?"

"Not a thing!"

"You're not interested in him?"

"Nope!"

"You would be okay if he was in someone else's arms? You would be okay if he was kissing someone else?"

Those questions struck a nerve in Tony. Images of the super soldier snuggling a beautiful woman and caressing her skin with his lips started to plague his mind. The scenes made him sick to his stomach. He did not like that. He did not like that at all. All of a sudden, he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He was shaken out of his thoughts by Alice exclaiming,

"Tony!"

He was brought back to reality as Alice questioned,

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, but you're wrong. I am not in love with Rogers. He can date, snuggle, or kiss anyone he wants. I could really care less about it. End of story."

"So, does that I mean I can have him?"

Her words caused the flames of rage to ignite within Tony. In an act that lacked judgement, he dropped Alice to the ground. Alice questioned,

"Why did you do that?!"

Tony screamed back, "YOU CAN'T HAVE ROGERS!"

Alice raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Why not?"

"HE'S-"

Tony stopped himself from saying anything more out of pure shock. He was about to scream that Steve was his, but he didn't feel that way about Steve...right? Uncertainty plagued his mind, which left him when he heard Alice say,

"Well? Finish what you were saying."

Biting his lip in hesitation, he changed what he was going to say, "He's...He's a stranger to you. You don't know him."

Alice rolled her eyes and informed, "That's what dating is for, Tony. People date to get to know one another."

Tony's eyes narrowed and he was about to snap back, but froze when he heard a familiar voice ask,

"What's going on?"

Tony's head snapped towards the source of the voice and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw Steve standing a few feet away from them. He gulped nervously and said, "H...Hey, Cap...how much of that did you hear?"


	5. Clashes and Offerings - Part 2

Here's the newest chapter with more jealous Tony Stark! :)

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 3: Clashes and Offerings - Part 2

Tony felt instant relief when he heard the super soldier answer, "The only thing I heard was your friend's last words. It sounded like you were arguing." The billionaire was extremely glad that Steve didn't hear all of their conversation. However, that glad feeling turned into aggravation when Steve knelt by Alice and asked,

"Is everything alright, ma'am?"

"Everything's fine."

"Is Stark upsetting you in any way?"

Tony Stark became appalled at that very moment. Why was Steve taking her side?! Why did Steve think he did something to her?! Well, technically, he did drop her on the ground, but it was her fault! He gave her fair warning, but she just had to push his buttons! Alice responded,

"Tony's fine. He's just being overprotective of me."

"Ma'am, why exactly are you on the ground?"

Alice locked her eyes with Tony, which made Tony gulp. She wouldn't tell Steve the truth. No way! She wouldn't do that...right? She closed her eyes and lied through her teeth,

"I tripped and fell. That's how I ended up on the ground."

Steve turned to look at Tony and questioned, "Stark, why didn't you help her up?"

Tony, being the genius he was, also lied through his teeth. Shrugging his shoulders, he stated, "She told me that she could get up on her own."

Blue eyes full of disappointment locked onto the billionaire, making Tony feel like a child that was getting punished. The super soldier shook his head and commented in a tone laced with disapproval, "Stark, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. If she told you that she could get up on her own, she would have done it by now. You claim to be a genius, but you can't even figure that out?"

Tony ignored the urge the face palm himself. Only Steve would come up with something like that and make him look like the bad guy at the same time. His ears perked when he heard a snicker come from Alice, which made his eye twitch in annoyance.

* * *

Alice found the current situation to be rather amusing. Despite that, she was a little mad that Steve interrupted their disagreement. After all, Tony was so close to at least admitting that he liked the super soldier because of her little charade. She really had no interest in dating the super soldier. In fact, she wasn't even interested in getting into a relationship. However, if she acted like she was interested in Steve, then Tony would be forced to realize that he had feelings for him. After all, jealousy makes people do crazy things, right?

Soon, her amusement disappeared when Steve cast his disappointing eyes on her. Staring into those radiant blue eyes of displeasure made her feel like a little child that got caught red handed. It made her feel...guilty, much to her surprise. A complete stranger had this affect on her? Unbelievable! If he made her feel this way, Tony must experience a worse feeling since he knew Steve. It was official. This man had to become Tony's boyfriend!

Suddenly, those blue eyes turned warm and soft. Her shame melted away, much to her relief. He extended a hand towards her and said, "Being prideful isn't always a good thing. It's okay to ask for help when you need it." Alice looked at the hand for just a moment before sliding her hand on his. She was pulled to her feet, only to start falling again. The super soldier wrapped his arm around her waist, preventing her from dropping to the ground. Alice could feel her face heating up while Steve said, "Ma'am, I think it would be better if I carried you to your destination."

Alice was about to protest, but she was scooped into Steve's arms before a single word could get out of her mouth. Her face was bright red as a result of this as she said while feeling embarrassed,

"This isn't necessary!"

"You were about to fall."

"Please put me down!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

* * *

Tony fought the urge to tear those two apart. How dare Alice get held by Steve like that?! It's not like he wanted Steve to hold him so close, but he especially didn't want her to! He couldn't challenge it though. He already felt Steve's stare of disappointment once today. He couldn't handle another. He followed them into the meeting room where Fury was sitting in a black leather chair.

* * *

Fury looked at the super soldier and said, "You can put her down in one of the chairs, Rogers. I have a feeling she wants to say something to me." Steve, being the obedient soldier, put Carter down. She glared at the Director while he smirked at her. She demanded in a tone laced with anger,

"Why can't you take no for an answer?! Why did you have to take my job away from me?!"

"Your talents are better suited for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Is this how you get people to join your organization? By force?"

"If necessary, yes."

The girl in front of him started to get even angrier than before, which didn't really surprise Fury. His methods usually made people react this way, but if the ends justified the means, he really could care less.

The girl challenged back,

"Fury, my answer is still no and it will always be no."

"I can change your answer."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Is that what you told Romanoff before you fought her and lost in five seconds?"

"I lasted longer than that!"

The Director turned to the red-headed agent and questioned,

"Did she?"

"No, sir."

She shot glares at them both before saying,

"Why would you want a complete stranger to join your organization? You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough."

"I highly doubt that."

" I know that Alice Carter isn't your real name, for starters."

Carter's eyes widened for a fraction of a second when he said that. Steve questioned,

"Wait, if Alice isn't her real name, then what is it? Who is she?"

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. answered the Captain's question, "She's Stark's younger sister."


	6. Clashes and Offerings - Part 3

Here's the newest chap. This will be the last you see of jealous Tony Stark. After this, the fun begins. :)

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 3: Clashes and Offerings - Part 3

Steve looked back and forth between Tony and an angry Alice. Steve told the mechanic, "You never told us you had a sister." The super soldier saw an air of nervousness emit from Tony before he hid it with arrogance as he stated smugly,

"Cap, if I told you everything about me, I wouldn't be as awesome as I am now."

Steve rolled his eyes at Tony's words and looked at Alice. She seemed pretty upset about the revelation of her heritage. Why would she want to hide who her true identity?

* * *

Alice was furious, but alarmed at the same time. He knew what her real name was, so he probably knew the circumstances that caused it. He did know about her, much to Alice's dismay. Fury smirked at her and said,

"You have quite an interesting story, Carter. In fact, it's so interesting that I think that, if it was revealed, you would be steal Stark's spotlight."

"You wouldn't..."

"If you join S.H.I.E.L.D., I won't do anything."

He was blackmailing her. Unbelievable. The question that needed to be answered was: What would her answer be? She could still say no, but that would result in life-changing consequences. She already went through that once before. She had no intention of going through it again. With a sigh of defeat escaping from her lips, she said, "Alright, I'll do it. I'll join S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury responded smugly, "I knew you would see things my way...eventually."

The ex-cop glared at the Director while he informed, "Training starts in three weeks. That should be enough time for you to recuperate from your injuries."

* * *

Tony graciously invited his kid sister to stay at the Tower until she had to move into the Helicarrier for S.H.I.E.L.D. training. He did it out of the kindness of his heart, really. It had nothing to do with the fact that he could watch her every move if she tried to flirt with Steve. It also had nothing to do with the fact that he planned on making sure that NOTHING happened between the two of them. His motives were purely selfless.

Tony took Alice to the eleventh floor and said happily, "This is your floor!"

Alice looked around in amazement and asked,

"I get a whole floor to myself?"

"Yep."

"Thanks."

"Anything for my little sis. Now, make yourself at home. I need to grab Brucie so we can do science!"

* * *

After Tony left her to do science experiments with Bruce, Alice decided to lay down for a bit and think about her current situation. She decided to join S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had to go through training in order to secure positions. If you succeeded through the training of a certain number of weeks but failed the others, you would get the job that corresponded with it.

Week #1 - Desk Job

Week #2 - Hellicarrier Duty

Week #3 - Handler

Week #4 - Agent

Fury told her that working with S.H.I.E.L.D. was similar to her old job, except on a bigger scale. If that was the case, she was determined to become an agent and nothing else. She had to score for the best...she just had to.

Hours after contemplating the current events, her stomach began to rumble. Pulling out her phone, she called Tony and asked,

"Tony, where's the kitchen?"

* * *

Steve walked into the kitchen to see Alice chopping up some celery to put in a stew. The super soldier questioned,

"Should you really be cooking in your condition?"

"Steve, I think I can manage to cook. It's not like I'm moving around."

"I don't think you should risk it."

Steve grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her into a chair. He grabbed the knife and announced, "I'll cook for you."

The ex-cop objected, "That isn't necessary."

Steve flashed a smile and countered, "Ma'am, I'm not taking no for an answer."

* * *

Tony questioned, "Jarvis, where is Steve?"

The A.I. answered, "Mr. Rogers is currently with Ms. Carter."

Panic began to explode within the genius. They were together?! What were they doing?! Why were they together?! Tony just had to find out. He commanded,

"Jarvis, activate camera #106!"

"Sir, I don't believe they are doing anything that warrants you spying on them."

"DO IT, JARVIS!"

"As you wish, sir."

* * *

The super soldier placed a hot bowl of vegetable stew in front of Alice. She was about to scoop some of the food into a spoon when it was taken away from her by Steve. Alice looked at him questioningly, which made Steve say, "You shouldn't overexert yourself. I'll feed you."

Alice rolled her eyes and stated, "Steve, I think I can handle feeding my-mph!"

A spoonful of stew entered her mouth at that very moment. She chewed the food and swallowed it, asking,

"Still not taking no for an answer, are you?"

"You would be correct."

* * *

Tony's jaw dropped at the sight of Steve feeding his sister. Bruce looked up at the screen and said,

"See, Tony? They're not doing anything bad. Now, you can stop being so overprotective of your sister."

"It's not her I'm worried about."

"You're worried about Steve? Why?"

Tony hesitated in answering Bruce, which made the scientist raise an eyebrow and ask,

"Tony, do you have feelings for Steve?"

"NO!"

* * *

Alice swallowed another spoonful of food down as Steve asked,

"How is the food?"

"Delicious. You get a 9.5 out of 10."

"I don't get a 10?"

"No way. The only way you get a 10 is if you can cook better than me, and trust me, I'm an excellent cook."

Alice swallowed the last bit of stew and thanked the chef,

"Thank you for the meal, Steve."

"It was my pleasure."

Alice gathered the tableware and started to move towards the sink. However, before she made it, she stumbled and began to fall. She expected to fall flat on the floor, but she felt no pain. Steve caught her, in the process, fell down himself. Alice looked down at Steve and both of them started laughing. She said,

"Well, thank you once again for helping me."

"Anytime."

* * *

Bruce glanced at his friend, who was currently seething in rage. It was quite obvious that Tony had feelings for Steve, despite Tony's ridiculous attempts to deny it. If he asked him about it now, Tony would simply deny it again. So, Bruce decided to use a different approach. He commented thoughtfully,

"You know, they look cute together."

Bruce earned an "are you crazy" look from his friend as a result, but he simply shrugged his shoulders, saying,

"It's true."

"No, it's not!"

"Look at them, Tony. They get along really well and enjoy each other's company. I wouldn't be surprised if they started dating soon."

"Alice will not be dating Steve, not if I say anything about it!"

A small smile formed on Bruce's face as a question left his lips,

"Why not, Tony?"

"BECAUSE, THE ONLY PERSON ALLOWED TO DATE STEVE IS ME!"

* * *

Tony was stunned at the words that just came out of his mouth. He just admitted that he liked Steve...out loud. His face began to turn red with embarrassment. This was not awesome! He was Tony Stark! Women, and sometimes men, threw themselves at their feet for him every day, shouting declarations of love and affection. He was never the one to do that! Never ever! Now, here he was, declaring his feelings for Steve to his science buddy. This wasn't cool...this wasn't cool at all...

The billionaire pouted and whined, "I sound like a lovesick teenager. This is so uncool!"

Bruce snickered and said, "This is entertaining to watch though. So, what are you going to do about Steve?"

* * *

Steve helped Alice off the floor and volunteered to wash the tableware. Alice gave up trying to tell him otherwise because either way, the super soldier was going to have his way. Alice was impressed by Steve so far. He was kind, generous, attractive and could cook. If Alice was actually looking for a boyfriend, Steve would probably be her first choice.

Her ears perked up when she heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. She heard her older brother greet them,

"Hey, you two."

Both of them greeted at the same time,

"Hey, Tony."

Alice became alarmed when Tony grabbed her arm and said, "Cap, I'm taking Kid away from you. We need to talk about house rules."

The younger sibling was pulled away by her elder until they were in a room that secluded from prying eyes. Tony turned his back on Alice, which confused her. She questioned,

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"I want him."

"Steve?"

"Yes, I want him."

A small smirk graced Alice's face as she responded, "Why do you want him?"

Tony's face turned tomato red while he exclaimed, "I want him to date me! There! I said it! Don't make me say it again!"

Alice laughed and commented, "About time."

Her words resulted in Tony asking,

"Didn't you want Steve?"

"No. I was just acting like I did to make you jealous so you could admit your true feelings. I'd say my plan worked."

"Meanie."

"Well, if you weren't being so stubborn, I wouldn't have had to do it. So, now that you've realized that you like Steve, what happens next?"

Tony gave a signature smirk and responded confidently with a gleam in his eye, "I'll make him mine."


	7. Breakfast For Steve

Hi, everyone! Here's a new chap featuring Thor and Darcy angst with fluffy Stony! :)

Enjoy!

Avengers does not belong to me!

Part 4: Breakfast For Steve

Thor was feeling a little depressed.

The Asgardian decided to pay a visit to Jane Foster, the scientist he fell in love with during his banishment. He located her in the apartment that her and Darcy shared. Once they were reunited, he expected them to greet on pleasant terms. What he didn't expect, however, was a slap to the face. After Jane had struck him, Thor was confused. What had he done wrong? His love had eyes that were filling up with tears, which made him ask,

"Jane, what have I done to upset you?"

"You didn't come visit me!"

"I'm here visiting you now."

"No, before today, you didn't come see me when you were in New York!"

It took Thor a moment to realize that Jane was talking about the time when he and the other Avengers fought against the Chitauri along with Loki. He did wish to see Jane back then, but decided against it because he didn't want to endanger her life again. Thor informed sadly,

"I wanted to see you, but I thought that my presence would have caused you to be in danger."

Apparently, that wasn't enough for Jane. With tears streaming down her face, she retaliated,

"Why didn't you come see me after the battle was over?!"

"I needed to return home to make sure my brother faced punishment for his crimes of treason."

Jane was still upset with him and it pained Thor to see her like this. He knelt down on one knee, bowed his head, and apologized,

"Jane, I am truly sorry for my actions. I didn't mean to cause you pain."

She wiped her tears away from her face as she said with a tone laced with sadness, "It's hard, Thor. It's hard being in a relationship with you. I'm stuck here on Earth while you are on Asgard, galaxies away! I'm...just...I'm just tired."

The god of thunder looked at the scientist with widened eyes and questioned uncertainly,

"What are you saying?"

Jane looked at him with eyes mixed with anger and sorrow, and stated,

"I need to take a break, Thor. I need a break from us."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I don't want to see you for a while."

"Jane..."

"Goodbye, Thor."

Those words made Thor's heart lurch. He sullenly watched his love leave him outside in the cold to enter the warmth of her home. Afterwards, Thor ventured to New York City, so he could take his mind off of his rocky relationship with Jane Foster. He made a decision to go visit his friends in Avengers Tower. Surely, seeing his comrades would lift his spirits. He walked into the Tower when he heard his stomach rumble. Well, before he could search for his friends, he would need to get some food in his belly. Making his way into the kitchen, he searched the cabinets for any food. He noticed a box and tried to read the label uncertainly,

"Tart of Pop?"

* * *

Bruce was sound asleep until a loud sound awakened him. The sound caused his ears to experience physical pain. It was aggravating him so much that he nearly turned into the Hulk. Before he felt his control slip away, the sound suddenly stopped. He regained control of his other side and went to investigate. He ventured downstairs to see an enraged Tony, a guilty Thor, and a confused Alice in the kitchen. He chuckled and felt himself relax.

* * *

Alice watched as Tony screamed at the blond-haired man that was currently in the kitchen,

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU, THOR?! DON'T TOUCH THE TOASTER WITHOUT TONY'S PERMISSION!"

"I'm sorry, Friend Stark."

"SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT! I JUST BOUGHT THAT TOASTER!"

She looked at where the toaster used to be. Now, there was nothing but pieces of metal and burnt wood in its place. The man explained,

"I tried to make the Tart of Pop in the toaster machine, but it was going too slow."

"So, you thought it was a good idea to use your hammer and zap electricity into it?!"

"Well..."

Alice questioned, "Tony, can't you buy another toaster?"

Her brother turned to her and screamed,

"Don't take his side!"

"It's too early for you to be screaming."

"I don't care!"

He turned to Bruce and grabbed his arm, pulling him away, exclaiming, "We're going to go do science!"

* * *

Thor sat down at the table, feeling more down than he did before. It seems like he was making all kinds of mistakes today. His thoughts were interrupted by the woman asking,

"What exactly were you trying to make in the toaster?"

"Tart of Pop."

"Tart of Pop? Are you talking about Pop Tarts?"

"Yes."

"Do you still want some?"

Thor looked at the women in confusion, commenting,

"The toaster is destroyed."

"There's more than one way to make Pop Tarts."

Thor watched in awe as the woman placed two Pop Tarts into the oven and turned it on. After a short time, she took the Pop Tarts out of the oven and put them on a plate. She placed it in front of the god and said with a smile, "Enjoy!"

Thor sank his teeth into the food as an explosion of chocolate erupted into his mouth. He smiled out of enjoyment as the woman chuckled to herself. Thor thanked her,

"You have my gratitude."

"You're welcome. By the way, my name is Alice."

"Lady Alice, it is an honor to meet you. I am Thor of Asgard."

"It's nice to meet you, Thor."

"Well, I'm going to make sure Tony hasn't blown up his lab. Make sure you don't make any more messes while I'm gone."

Alice winked at the god and bid him goodbye, "Take care, Thor."

Thor smiled once again as he ate some more of his Pop Tart. Well, at least one good thing came from today, the Asgardian met a nice person who made him breakfast.

* * *

Tony heard his lab door open as his younger sister said,

"You know, you don't have to be so mean to Thor, if that is his real name."

"Shut up."

Bruce interjected,

"Thor is his real name."

"Seriously? He's named after the Norse god of thunder?"

"He is the Norse god of thunder."

Tony interrupted, "Anyway, enough about Thor, it's time to turn our attention to something that's actually important."

Alice questioned,

"What would that be?"

"Me."

Alice and Bruce rolled their eyes at Tony's arrogant statement and were taken aback by his latest demand,

"You two are going to help me win over Steve!"

Both of them objected,

"No way."

"I'll pass."

Tony looked at his sibling and best science buddy and whined, "Why not?"

Bruce held up his hands in a defensive gesture, commenting, "Tony, I'm not sure what good I can be."

Alice informed, "I have S.H.I.E.L.D. training in a few weeks. I won't have time."

Tony looked at them with the puppy eyed look of longing with a small lip quivering pout added to the mix. Bruce sighed in defeat and Alice pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Finally, both of them gave in, reluctantly declaring,

"Fine. We'll help."

Tony pumped his fist in the air, proclaiming with triumph, "I win!"

Bruce inquired, "How exactly do you plan on winning Steve's heart?"

Tony's fingers gestured to the air, making various web pages appear in front of the trio. Bruce and Alice started to look through the websites with awe. Each website had something to do with cooking pancakes. Alice questioned,

"You plan on cooking breakfast for him?"

"Yes."

"Tony, your cooking is awful."

"It is not!"

Bruce commented,

"I'd have to agree."

"Brucie, don't take her side!"

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm telling the truth."

Tony glared at the scientist and whined, "I can get better! I just need help! I want to make blueberry pancakes!"

Alice raised her eyebrow and interrogated,

"Shouldn't you start with normal pancakes since you're learning how to make edible food?"

"No! They have to be blueberry!"

"Why?"

"Those are Steve's favorite kind of pancakes!"

Bruce and Alice looked at each other in contemplation of what Tony was asking. Bruce nodded and Alice slumped her shoulders tiredly, declaring, "Fine, we'll help you.

* * *

Watching his best friend cook was really hard for Bruce to watch. Tony's first attempt at blueberry pancakes looked terrible. Bruce wasn't aware that someone could turn pancakes a lime green color. Tony put a pancake on two plates and asked, "Who wants to try some?"

There was no way that Tony's toxic food was going down Bruce's throat. His ears perked up when he heard Thor coming in, asking, "What is this strange green food?"

Bruce pushed the food in front of him and said, "Try it and find out."

Thor ate a piece of the pancake and his face turned green and blue. He covered his mouth with his hands as it looked like he was going to vomit all the contents in the stomach all over Tony's counter. Fortunately, Alice came to Thor's rescue by giving him a trash bag. Then, Thor proceeded to throw up. When Thor finally stopped, he mumbled sadly, "I feel ill."

Bruce began fixing him some stomach medicine while Alice hit Tony in the back of the head, scolding, "Tony, your food made Thor sick!" Tony hung his head down as Alice rubbed her temples in frustration. She glanced at Tony's expression and said, "I'll walk you through it again."

Tony made another batch, which looked somewhat normal. In order to prevent Thor from getting sick again, Alice tasted it. Alice's face formed confusion and she informed,

"It doesn't taste like a pancake."

"What does it taste like?"

"Nothing. You destroyed its flavor."

"WHAT?!"

"Do it again, Tony."

Tony's third and final batch of pancakes actually looked good. Bruce tasted it this time, despite being fearful about what would happen as a result. He popped a piece of pancake in his mouth and smiled when he tasted the pancake's good flavor. He looked at Tony's worried face and said, "It's good, Tony."

Tony's face lit up like a Christmas tree, which Bruce found nice to see. All his hard work paid off. Bruce raised an eyebrow when Tony's happy face transformed into an expression of pure shock. He turned around to see a Steve walking down the stairs in a black T-shirt with blue jeans. He had a white towel hanging around his neck, probably from working out. Bruce took this as his cue to leave along with the others as he prompted, "Alice, will you help Thor come to the lab? I'll make sure he gets something to cure his stomach problem."

She nodded and helped a sickened Thor stand up, declaring, "Come on, Thor. Let's go." The Asgardian leaned against the former police officer as the trio made their way to the lab.

* * *

Tony bit his tongue in order to bring him back to reality. He held a plate of blueberry pancakes out in front of Steve, stating with a hint of excitement that the super soldier didn't trace, "I made you breakfast!"

Steve narrowed his eyes at the billionaire and asked annoyingly,

"What's the catch?"

"Catch? What catch?"

"Stark, whenever you do something nice for someone, it's because you want something in return."

"I don't want anything in return."

"I doubt that."

"Is it hard to believe that I made you breakfast because I wanted to be nice?"

"Do you really want me to answer that honestly?"

Tony was hurt by Steve's words and masked his pain with arrogance, "Fine. If you don't want to eat them, that's your loss. I'm sure I can find someone else to eat my delicious cooking."

The plate was taken from Tony's hands by the object of his affections as he informed, "I'll eat it, Tony. You made my favorite pancakes after all."

Tony had to fight the urge to break out into a full blown grin. Yes! Steve was going to eat his food! Steve sat down at the table, cut the pancakes into pieces, and placed some in his mouth. Tony gulped while he watched the super soldier chew and eventually, swallow his food. A smile formed on the captain's face when he complimented,

"It's delicious."

Tony almost did a happy dance, but restrained himself. After all, he had to maintain his cool image. He may like Steve, but he was still Tony Stark. He had a reputation to keep. He couldn't stop feeling elated. Steve liked his cooking, who wouldn't be happy after that?

* * *

Darcy silently groaned as a result of listen to Jane go on and on about Thor, pacing back and forth.

"I did the right thing, didn't I?"

Darcy didn't even bother to respond because Jane exclaimed with determination, "Of course, I did the right thing! Thor need to know how I felt! Being in a relationship with him is very challenging! It's always going to be long distance! Well, maybe, I don't want long distance anymore!"

Darcy asked, "Are you saying that you want to break up with him for good and find someone to date on this planet?"

Jane shook her head, explaining, " No, I think...maybe...Thor should stay here with me on Earth...instead of going back to Asgard all the time."

Darcy's jaw dropped when those words excited Jane's mouth. Was she serious?! Darcy yelled,

"Jane, have you lost your mind?!"

"Darcy, why are you screaming at me?"

"Are you listening to yourself?! You want Thor to leave his home, family, everything he's ever known, just to be with you?!"

"Asgard isn't the only home he has. He considers Earth to be his home too. Besides, we're his family too. Asgard has brought him nothing but misery as of late. His own father banished him to this planet with no powers, his brother betrayed him, and his mother didn't do anything to stop either of them. It would be better if he were away from all of that. He can have a fresh start here with me. "

"You can't ask him to do this for you!"

"Why not?"

"Your relationship will end in disaster if you do!"

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do!"

"You don't know how he'll answer!"

"I know Thor, and he won't give you the answer you want to hear."

"Well, we won't know until I ask him, will we?"

Darcy couldn't believe how her boss was acting. She was really serious about this. The assistant shook her head in disappointment, stating, "If I was dating Thor, I would never ask him to choose me over Asgard."

Jane looked at the assistant with furious eyes, replying coldly,

"You're not dating Thor, are you?"

"Jane..."

"I bet the real reason why you are so against my decision is because you're jealous of our relationship."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know you have feelings for Thor, and guess what, they are one-sided. Know why? **Thor wants me.** **He'll never feel the same way about you.**"

Jane's words were like daggers piercing themselves into Darcy's heart. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to shed tears over this in front of Jane. Darcy turned her back on Jane and spat, "Fine. Do what you want, but don't come crying to me when Thor breaks up with you over this." She slammed the door on her way out and walked towards her room. When she got there, she threw herself on her bed as tears slowly started to fall down her face.

Did she have feelings for Thor? Yes. She held very strong feelings for the Asgardian, but she didn't act on them because she knew how Jane felt about him. She considered Jane to be her friend, even though she was her boss. Now, she felt differently. Darcy mumbled,

"If this is how she's going to act, I should find another job."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Darcy shot up, turned on a light, and saw a light skinned man in a tuxedo sitting in a chair. He was drinking a cup of coffee while Darcy was searching for her taser that she kept in the top drawer of her nightstand. However, her weapon was gone without a trace. The man held up the familiar device in the air and asked,

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Darcy's eyes widened in horror when she saw her taser in the hands of the stranger in her room. The man noticed her anxiety and informed,

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Who are you?!"

"I am Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? Wait, you took my...I mean, our...stuff away!

"I was under orders."

"Are you under orders now?"

"Yes, my orders are to recruit you to work for us."

"Me? Join you? No way!"

"Being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't that bad. It's better than here, that's for sure."

"I love my job!"

Coulson raised an eyebrow and said in a tone full of sarcasm, "Yes, if I were you, I would love working for a boss who reminds me 24/7 that she is dating the guy I have feelings for. On top of that, I'm forced to ride around in a small car and take my research everywhere I go to wherever my boss thinks is the best place to go. My boss calls all the shots and I can do nothing but follow her lead."

Darcy looked down in sadness at her situation while Coulson swallowed the last bit of coffee. He stood up, brushed his pants, and informed before leaving, "If you want to stay here, that's fine. If you want to enter a workforce where you are the one calling the shots, then pack a bag and come outside in ten minutes. The choice is yours."


End file.
